Under the terms of the proposed production licence agreement, Antonov and Geely will work closely together in order to develop the TX6 to production to meet Geely’s production timetable for its own vehicles and to make the transmission available to other vehicle makers worldwide.

Antonov created the six-speed automatic in 2003. The transmission features a combination of planetary gears and parallel transfers of power—the engine’s output is transferred to two parallel three-speed modules. Each of these can independently accept power and transfer it to the differential.

Two simple planetary gears, two brakes and one clutch in each module produce three speeds. Using the friction elements the transmission can select up-shifts and down-shifts in any combination. Each shift is produced with only two friction elements, one engaging and one disengaging simultaneously. Reverse is also provided in one module.

The transmission is very flexible, it can produce any overall ratio and any steps between any of the speeds. When power is transmitted, only one of the planetary gears is carrying torque. The speed of the two modules is slightly reduced with respect to engine speed. There are two direct drives on 4th and 5th speed, and there are no freewheels in the design offering the potential for higher efficiency.

One of the wet brakes in one of the modules is the start device, enabling effective calibration of launch with low thermal loading of the friction elements. It also enables the torque converter to be eliminated, reducing cost, weight and size while improving efficiency. The system is modular and four, five, six or more speeds versions can be chosen to suit a particular cost and application requirement.

Under the terms of the proposed production licence agreement, Antonov will receive both Licence Fees and production royalties.

Geely have already taken two models of conventional automatic transmission to production and the Antonov TX6 will be an addition to this model line-up.